After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 106

The commotion among the three had long attracted many officials from the Ministry of Justice. Seeing Yan Shangshu and Deputy Commander Lu, although they didn’t recognize the young man who clashed with Yan Shangshu, they still gathered around.

 

Zhou Xun was not surprised at all by Yan’s words. Anyone associated with Zhou Cai was invariably someone who took rumors as gospel. He merely glanced at Yan and said, “I’ve heard that Mr. Yan is very learned and often spends time teaching others’ children. I just wonder if Mr. Yan spends half as much time with his own children as he does teaching others? Or perhaps—Mr. Yan prefers teaching by example over verbal instruction?”

 

Yan Shangshu furrowed his brows. He did not understand Zhou Xun’s point but had no intention of probing further—he felt that speaking more with Zhou Xun was beneath him.

 

But just as he was about to turn away, Zhou Xun added, “By the way, since Mr. Yan is here, could you please help deliver this letter to Yan Jia(yan house/family)?”

 

In plain view of everyone, several onlookers watched as Zhou Xun took a letter from his pocket—the envelope was specially made for the Yan family, with the Yan family crest embossed on it.

 

The Yan family had a penchant for such elaborate and noble gestures, even using special envelopes for their own correspondence. Yan Shangshu initially thought Zhou Xun was just spouting nonsense out of frustration and was about to turn back for a scathing remark.

 

However, when he saw the familiar crest on the envelope, his expression froze.

 

“A few days ago, Yan Jia wrote to me, seeking advice on how to interpret ‘a reed growing straight without support amidst the hemp; white sand in the dye, turning black with it.’ He often visits my home to study texts, but unfortunately, he seems to have angered his father recently and has been confined indoors,” Zhou Xun explained. “Today, I was supposed to send the letter to the Yan family through my servant, but since Mr. Yan is here, it saves me the trouble. With your vast learning, I’m sure you understand better how to elaborate on this principle. However…”

 

He blinked slightly, as if troubled: “Since Yan Jia is preparing for the spring exams next year, as his father, perhaps you should spend less time educating others and more time caring for your own children, don’t you think?”

 

Yan Shangshu was struck dumb by the sight of the familiar writing on the envelope. Besides the envelope, Zhou Xun also handed him a box: “Yan Jia also sent a box of sword tassels as a token of thanks. Unfortunately, I don’t practice swordplay and have no need for them. Please take them back with you as well.”

 

The onlookers murmured among themselves as they witnessed this scene.

 

“Isn’t the Yan family known for their good family values? How could Mr. Yan just criticize that young man, yet be unaware that his own child is involved?”

 

“A father who is a great scholar spends all his time lecturing others, while his own child has to seek advice from others…”

 

“Birds of a feather flock together. The phrases ‘a reed growing straight without support amidst the hemp’ and ‘white sand in the dye, turning black with it’ are indeed quite interesting when put together.”

 

“I see that sword tassel is quite valuable!”

 

“Moreover, Yan Shangshu’s only son sought advice from him and even gave a gift… this person must not be ordinary. Why haven’t I heard his name before?”

 

“Isn’t Zhou Xun the younger brother of the top scholar Zhou?”

 

Yan Shangshu took the items and, hearing the murmurs around him and being called, left angrily with a flick of his sleeve. Zhou Xun stood quietly, his expression relaxed.

 

Seeing that the excitement had died down, the onlookers dispersed. Zhou Xun turned to go upstairs, but a male voice called out from behind, “That was quite a coincidence.”

 

It was Lu Xiandao.

 

Zhou Xun’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes still cold and indifferent, his lips curved into a calm smile: “A coincidence?”

 

“It just so happened that you were carrying a reply to Yan Jia, and that reply was in an envelope from the Yan family. Coincidentally, there was also the sword tassel that could be verified as a gift from Yan Jia…” Lu Xiandao said slowly, “A coincidence…”

 

Zhou Xun tapped the railing with his fingers.

 

“‘A reed growing straight without support amidst the hemp.’ Hmm…” He actually smiled, “It’s not unusual for scholars of the same year to discuss ‘Xunzi’ and this phrase, is it?”

 

— As for why Yan Jia had to write a letter because of a conflict with Yan Shangshu and why Yan Shangshu came here today, it was not surprising that someone who prided themselves on their high moral standards would use phrases like “birds of a feather flock together” to admonish or judge those mingling with him, right?

 

Lu Xiandao fell silent.

 

Zhou Xun gave him a serene smile and continued up the stairs.

 

Walking down the corridor, he thought, how many perfect coincidences are there in this world?

 

Coincidences only belong to the fortunate, while ordinary people must work thousands of times harder to achieve happiness. The luck that the favored ones take for granted, others must endure countless hardships and shed blood to obtain through elaborate schemes.

 

The sound of his footsteps echoed crisply in the corridor as Zhou Xun, guided by his confidant, headed toward the reserved private room.

 

When he saw the dark-colored corner of clothing inside, Zhou Xun smiled.

 

The only piece of luck he did not have to endure countless hardships to obtain was already here.

 

……

 

Downstairs, the clear voices of officials reading out Zhou Hong’s charges could be heard. Zhou Xun sat beside the Emperor, squinting at the gray figure kneeling in the center.

 

It had been half a month since he last saw Zhou Hong in prison, and he could barely recognize him now.

 

His gaze swept over the seats at the back of the hall where Zhou Cai sat, watching Zhou Hong. Zhou Cai was accompanied by Zhou’s father, and he appeared anxious and stern.

 

Zhou Cai, as Zhou Hong’s elder brother, naturally had to be present for Zhou Hong’s trial. His expression was consistent with the usual favoritism and affection Zhou Cai showed Zhou Hong. However, Zhou Xun found something odd about it.

 

He couldn’t pinpoint what felt off, but his vigilance grew stronger. Downstairs, the Scarlet Guards read the charges in a steady tone: “…After Lu Bin was severely injured, the Zhou family did not send anyone to visit or offer compensation…”

 

Upon hearing that the Zhou family had ignored Lu Bin and never made any attempt to visit or compensate, the crowd erupted into a commotion.

 

“I didn’t expect the Zhou family to appear glamorous on the surface but behave so arrogantly behind the scenes!”

 

“Breaking someone’s legs and not even bothering to visit? That’s too much!”

 

Throughout the process, Zhou Cai remained seated in his spot. He had lowered his eyelashes, which trembled slightly, and seemed lost in thought.

 

Zhou Xun frowned.

 

The Scarlet Guards finished reading the charges. The hall fell into silence. Zhou Hong knelt on the ground, trembling in fear, not daring to utter a word. From afar, Zhou Cai closed his eyes, clenched his fist as if sighing.

 

“Since the charges are as such, then…”

 

“Not good.”

 

Zhou Xun whispered, and in an instant, he realized the source of the previous discomfort!

 

“What’s wrong?” Lao Shen turned to look at his student.

 

“According to common sense, the Zhou family should have defended Zhou Hong—especially regarding the issue of visiting him. I remember Miss Shangguan once said that after the incident, the Zhou family came to the Lu family many times, pressuring them for forgiveness on the street. The Lu family was so harassed that they had to move away,” Zhou Xun spoke rapidly. “And now, they remain silent here, offering no defense for their ‘failure to visit.’ If there were no ulterior motives, given the Zhou family’s character, they would surely use this opportunity to blame the Scarlet Guards for blocking their visit, turning the conflict between the two families into a factional struggle involving the Scarlet Guards and the Zhou family… This means…”

 

“Means… they know about me…”

 

Zhou Xun clenched his fist and bit his lip.

 

Despite all his planning, he had missed this point… He had helped Lu Bin out of goodwill. However, he never expected the Zhou family to be so shameless as to count his assistance—despite being cast out of the Zhou family—toward their own credit.

 

But Zhou Xun couldn’t just go down and declare on the stage, “I have severed ties with the Zhou family. My help to the Zhou family was not out of familial affection.” With Zhou Hong’s case involving Zhou Cai, many high officials or their spies were watching closely. In this era, where filial piety was paramount, if he spoke up now, there would inevitably be questions about “why did you sever ties with the Zhou family?”

 

He could not explain the details. Even so, he would inevitably earn a reputation for being unfilial and unsympathetic. The notoriety of Zhou Hong’s case and Zhou Cai’s reputation would make his bad name equally well-known!

 

But he could not just stand by while the Zhou family stole his achievements. He was unwilling to accept it.

 

The Zhou family had truly played a brilliant trick!

 

At this moment, Zhou Xun needed to stay calm. He thought, don’t dwell on the worst outcome. There must be a way, there would always be a way to turn the tide…

 

He was struck on the forehead.

 

“Stop being a do-gooder,” Lao Shen said, hitting him. “See, now you’ve gotten yourself into trouble!”

 

Zhou Xun pressed his lips together. Lao Shen was already upset that he hadn’t listened before and now said with a sharp tone: “Don’t think about going down and shouting in court. This time, you take this silent grievance and learn from it!”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

Lao Shen: “Oh, why are you glaring at me? Anyway, you haven’t lost anything publicly, just consider it a lesson.”

 

Zhou Xun: “But I’m really not happy about it.”

 

Zhou Xun lowered his head, thinking of a hundred ways to address this, and was about to head downstairs immediately. But before he could stand up, the Emperor’s hand pressed down on his.

 

“I’m unhappy too,” the Emperor said, patting his hand, “It’s fine, we’ll go down together in a bit!”

 

Zhou Xun: ??

 

The Emperor: “I’ve already arranged everything for you!”

 

Zhou Xun looked at the Emperor, then at the white-bearded old man beside him. Both showed triumphant smiles.

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He sat back down, watching the scene outside, blinking hard. The Emperor leaned over and saw his face turned away, whispering, “Hey, are you angry?

 

I didn’t get a chance to tell you…”

 

“No,” Zhou Xun replied.

 

He only wished his eyes could blink faster and harder, so that the discomfort from before could be blinked away in an instant.

 

This was indeed the luck he could gain without enduring countless hardships.

 

As the proceedings were about to conclude, the presiding official cleared his throat to deliver the verdict. However, a voice came from the crowd: “Hold on a moment!”

 

The voice came from Aunt Lu, who sat next to Lu Bin. She seemed to have undergone a long internal struggle before finally speaking up: “Actually… Actually, the Zhou family… the Zhou family did visit us afterward.”

 

The announcement caused a stir, and the Scarlet Guards reprimanded, but were quickly subdued by the presiding official. The official looked at Aunt Lu with a kind expression and asked, “Aunt, what do you mean?”

 

“Actually…”

 

Aunt Lu stammered as she recounted how the Zhou family had sent a doctor to treat them. However, she did not mention the pseudonym “Young Master Xun,” only stating that the person was Zhou Hong’s older brother. After hearing this, the official immediately asked Zhou Hong, “Is this true?”

 

Zhou Hong was also confused: “I…”

 

He looked toward the crowd for help: “Brother…”

 

At this moment, Zhou Cai sighed and took center stage.

 

“After the Lu family’s incident, we were deeply unsettled. However, the Scarlet Guards, under the pretext of ‘not disturbing the Lu family,’ had them moved to another location. They were under the roof of the Scarlet Guards. The deputy commander of the Scarlet Guards had some misunderstandings with my Zhou family, and we didn’t want to disturb things openly, so we had to…”

 

He hesitated, but his expression conveyed an unspoken story.

 

“Actually, I’ve thought about it. Zhou Hong is still just a child,” Aunt Lu murmured. “Now that Bin’er is almost well, just let them pay a bit more money, and that would…”

 

With their words aligning, the presiding official, Vice Minister Huang, felt relieved. He discreetly glanced at his mentor Yan Shangshu and cleared his throat: “Since that’s the case…”

 

Before he could finish, a voice from the upstairs private room interrupted.

 

“This is somewhat amusing. When did the special envoy I sent to care for the Lu family become someone from the Zhou family? Aunt, please check carefully.”

 

When the familiar voice rang out, it was as if a stone had stirred up a thousand waves!

 

“Let’s go downstairs,” the Emperor grabbed Zhou Xun’s hand and whispered, “I’ll take you before these people.”

 

“Before them?”

 

“Make an appearance, prove your identity,” the Emperor patted his shoulder, “You are not from the Zhou family. You are…”

 

“From the Heavenly Family?” Zhou Xun followed him.

 

“My family,” the Emperor said, gripping his hand, “How can I let others bully you?”